The Best Part of Waking Up
by emeraldgirl503
Summary: Blaine hates mornings... until he discovers something to look forward to during his subway rides. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

Blaine was not a morning person. Mornings were for curling up under his warm, snuggly blankets and dozing while the sun bathed his bed in early morning light. Blaine liked to wake up slowly and lazily linger in bed until he finally started feeling functional, which wasn't usually until at least 10 AM. In college, he'd avoided as many early morning classes as he could. The one time he'd had to take an 8 AM, he'd been late to half the classes and had only been able to stay awake if he'd consumed at least 2 cups of coffee. So when he'd finally accepted that he needed to find a job, any job, to pay his rent while he waited for an audition to work out and had ended up with the 6 AM shift at downtown coffee shop, Blaine had struggled. After almost getting fired for consistently showing up late, he'd finally discovered that having an established routine and going through his morning like a well-programmed robot was the only way to get to work on time.

For the first two weeks of his new routine, Blaine was a total zombie. The world was just a blur of colors and noises as he made his way from his apartment to the subway. He stared blankly out the window of the subway, only vaguely registering where he was enough to recognize his stop. A few mornings, he actually missed it and had to get off one stop later and walk further. After a few weeks, though, Blaine was finally starting to adjust to the new schedule. He still hated mornings, but he started to be awake enough to at least notice his surroundings. He became familiar with the routines of other people and started to make them part of his own. As he walked to the subway, he nodded a greeting at the old man shuffling down the sidewalk with his large dog, who probably weighed more than his owner. He waved at the friendly shop owner who always called out a "Good morning!" as she unlocked her shop. He smiled to himself as he watched the frazzled dad trying to corral his three young kids toward his car.

On the subway, he always got in the exact same spot, far enough down the platform to avoid ending up in a crowded car. There were a few other regulars who always seemed to be on the same car, and Blaine started to nickname them based on their resemblance to characters in _Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs_. There was Sleepy, a young guy who was always curled up in a seat near the end of the car, sound asleep. Blaine wondered if he ever actually got where he was going. Happy was the middle-aged woman in the business suit who was way too awake for 6 in the morning, always smiling down at her tablet screen and humming quietly to herself as she typed away. Sneezy appeared to be the unfortunate victim of perpetual allergies, though everyone gave her a pretty wide berth in the morning just in case she was contagious. Bashful was the girl about Blaine's age who looked up and smiled shyly at him as Blaine slid into the seats across from her before turning back to her book. Doc was an obvious choice – a sharp-eyed woman down the car wearing scrubs and sipping coffee. Grumpy got on the stop after Blaine, his face arranged into a perpetual scowl as he typed furiously on whatever device he was holding that morning.

Blaine's favorite part of his morning routine, though, was by far the man he had dubbed Snow White, who got on two stops after Blaine. He was by far the most beautiful man Blaine had ever seen, with pearly white skin, clear blue eyes, and dark brunette hair that was always impeccably coiffed into a stylish upsweep. His clothing was perfectly fitted and elegantly fashionable and made Blaine drool a little with jealousy. Blaine would not have been surprised to learn he was a supermodel, except Blaine didn't think most supermodels were riding the subway at 5:30 AM. Blaine had to make a conscious effort not to spend the rest of the ride staring at him and often passed the time daydreaming about the beautiful man. In his mind, Snow White was Blaine's ideal man, a perfect combination of talent, charm, wit, and humor. Blaine imagined taking the man to dinner and watching his face light up with a smile over something Blaine said, or strolling hand-in-hand through Central Park on a warm afternoon, or singing silly duets as they made their way home from a Broadway show. Blaine knew it was unlikely that his fantasy man was the hot guy riding on his subway car in the morning, but it was nice to dream. Since Blaine was in no shape to be striking up conversation with attractive men at 5:30 AM, nor did he think Snow White would welcome being hit on during his peaceful morning commute, it seemed like he would never have the opportunity to find out.

For months, Blaine spent his morning commutes in silent admiration of Snow White, wishing for the first time that New York was a smaller city so he'd actually have a chance of running into Snow White elsewhere. As it was, the only thing he knew about Snow White was his usual subway stop. Blaine had accepted that Snow White was just a wonderful fantasy, and he was content to leave it at that.

One random Thursday about four months after Blaine had started his new job, Blaine hopped on the subway to head home around 5 PM, much later than he usually caught it. He'd just come from an audition that had gone really well, and he was smiling to himself as he slid through the doors of the crowded subway car. As the train raced through the underground tunnels, making several more stops, the car grew more and more crowded, and Blaine found himself pressed closer and closer to the strangers around him. As the car made yet another stop and Blaine shifted to allow people nearby to get off the train, he stepped on someone else's foot. He glanced down and cringed when he saw the beautiful and undoubtedly expensive designer shoe he had just crushed under his own. "Oh my gosh, I am so… sorry," he finished weakly when he realized the person whose shoe he had probably just destroyed was none other than Snow White.

Snow White's gorgeous blue eyes widened in surprise. "It's you," he said, his voice clearer and more beautiful than Blaine had even imagined.

"It's _you_," Blaine repeated with a surprised laugh.

"I was beginning to think you only existed on the 5:31 AM subway," he replied with a broad smile that made Blaine's insides melt a little.

Blaine laughed. "That's the one place I wish I didn't exist."

Snow White frowned. "Not a fan of your job?"

"Not a fan of mornings," Blaine replied.

"Ah." Snow White nodded sympathetically. "I can understand that."

"Not a fan of mornings either?" Blaine asked.

"Not particularly," Snow White replied, stepping closer to Blaine as more people filtered onto the crowded car. Blaine's heart started to beat a little faster at their proximity. Blaine almost wondered if Snow White could hear it, because he gave Blaine a wide smile. "Though they do have their perks."

Blaine's lips curved into an answering smile. First a great audition, and now casual flirtation with his fantasy man? What a fantastic day this was turning out to be. "I agree. The early morning commute definitely has some… attractive features."

Snow White laughed. He stopped abruptly as someone behind him jostled him on the way to the exit, knocking him into Blaine. "By that, I assume you mean the relative quiet and the lack of crowds," he said, glaring as he righted himself.

"Of course," Blaine replied cheekily. "What else could I possibly have meant?"

"I have no idea," Snow White replied knowingly. "I'm Kurt, by the way."

"Blaine," he answered.

"Well, Blaine, at the risk of sounding forward, would you like to arrange a meeting outside the subway sometime?"

Blaine arranged his face into a horrified expression. "Outside the subway? Above ground?! I don't know if I can handle that."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "What are you, a badger?"

"I prefer to think of myself as a meerkat. Adorable, friendly, charming…"

"Are meerkats charming?" Kurt asked skeptically.

"…a great entertainer; lovable to everyone, even warthogs and lions…"

"Slightly obnoxious…"

Blaine gasped. "Timon is not slightly obnoxious!"

"Who said anything about Timon?" Kurt teased.

"Well. See if I go out with you now," Blaine huffed.

Kurt ignored him, pulling his phone out of his pocket and passing it to Blaine. Blaine accepted it and typed in his contact information. Kurt smiled as Blaine handed back the phone, then nodded toward the doors of the slowing car. "This is me."

"I know," Blaine replied. "I've kind of seen you before, remember?"

Kurt laughed. "Right. Well, I'm glad we bumped into each other this afternoon. Or more accurately, you bumped into me."

Blaine had forgotten about stepping on Kurt's shoe. "Oh! Is your shoe going to be okay? I hope I didn't get it too dirty when I stepped on it. I'd hate to have ruined something designed by the fabulous Alexander McQueen."

Kurt smiled as he stepped away from Blaine. "They've survived worse." Just before he disappeared into the crowd between Blaine and the door, he added, "Plus, it would have been a worthwhile sacrifice."

Blaine grinned. Maybe his subway fantasy man really would be turn out to be everything Blaine had dreamed. For now, though, Blaine was just excited for tomorrow morning.

Three months later, Bashful's usual smile of greeting was particularly bright when Blaine and Kurt got on the subway together at Kurt's stop, grinning adorably at each other as they settled into their seats.

_[Author note: Before you ask (assuming you liked this enough that you would ask), I'll probably end up writing a follow-up chapter about their first date in the near future, but for now I'm marking this as a complete one-shot. Thanks for reading!]_


	2. Chapter 2: Brighter than the Sun

Two days after his fortuitous meeting with Kurt on the subway, Blaine was a bundle of nervous energy. Kurt had texted almost immediately after getting off the train and asked Blaine about his weekend plans. When Blaine had admitted to having none, Kurt had invited him to his apartment for dinner. Blaine had immediately accepted, but then spent the next 48 hours freaking out about what to wear, what to bring, and most recently, whether or not it was even a date.

"Of course it's a date!" Sam had insisted for the millionth time when Blaine questioned it as he held up what seemed like the hundredth outfit for Sam's approval.

"How do you know? He never said the word 'date,'" Blaine argued, dropping the cardigan into the "no" pile as Sam shook his head.

"Blaine. He admitted to checking you out on the subway, flirted with you for the entire duration of the ride, and used the phrase 'at the risk of sounding forward.' Nobody worries about being forward if they're not asking you on a date," Sam replied before returning his focus to Blaine's clothing pile. "What about that really dark blue sweater you have?"

"It's navy, and I can't wear a bowtie with that," Blaine answered, holding up another cardigan/shirt combination. "What if he's not everything I imagined? I mean, I've been building this guy up in my head for months. What if he's nothing like that? What if this is all just pure fantasy?"

Sam made an indifferent expression at the outfit. "I can guarantee he's not going to be exactly everything you imagined. Nobody ever is. That doesn't mean he's going to disappoint you. Maybe you'll like who he really is better than your fantasy." He shook his head at the next outfit Blaine held up. "Why do you have to wear a bowtie?"

"It's my signature accessory," Blaine answered. "Maybe I should wear a jacket. Is that too formal?" He started digging through his closet for another outfit. "And you're right. I need to stop overanalyzing this. It's just been a while since I've been on a date with someone I've liked this much."

"It's just been a while since you've been on a date, period. Too long, actually," Sam replied. "And a jacket for a casual night in at his place? Way too formal." He stood up and surveyed the outfits scattered across Blaine's bed. "What about this gray- and white-striped sweater thing with one of these white collared T-shirts and those reddish pants with one of your millions of reddish bowties?"

"It's a striped cardigan, a white polo, and the color is maroon, not reddish," Blaine corrected. "How have you been a model for almost 5 years and you still don't know what clothes are called?"

"Hey, they don't pay me to name them. They pay me to wear them," Sam defended.

Blaine considered the outfit Sam had pointed out. "For a guy who can only name the 7 colors in the rainbow, you've got a pretty good eye," he said. "I think that could work. You don't think the pants are too bright?"

Sam shrugged. "Bright is kind of your signature thing or whatever, too. Now hurry up and get dressed. You don't want to be late."

Blaine glanced over at the clock. Sam was right. If he didn't get dressed now, he'd never make it to Kurt's place on time. "Okay. I think that's the outfit. Thanks for your help."

"No problem, bro," Sam said, waving his hand in acknowledgment as he ambled out of the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Blaine was on the subway headed to Kurt's. In one hand, he had a bottle of wine, and in the other, a bouquet of colorful Gerbera daisies he'd gotten from the friendly woman at the florist shop he usually waved to in the mornings. When he got off at Kurt's usual stop, he slid the bottle of wine under one arm so he could pull out his phone to follow the detailed directions Kurt had texted him. Four minutes later, he stopped in front of a multistory brick apartment building. After a deep breath and a quick scan of his outfit to make sure it was all in place, Blaine climbed the stairs and scrolled through his contacts and pressed call next to Kurt's name.

Kurt picked up on the second ring. "Hey! Are you here?"

"I think so," Blaine replied, looking at the number on the building one more time to be sure.

"You think so, or you are?" Kurt teased.

"I guess we'll find out when you come let me in," Blaine answered. "If there's no handsome guy standing on your doorstep, I must be lost."

Kurt laughed quietly. "I'll be right down."

About a minute later, the glass door of the building swung open. "Hm. No handsome guy on my doorstep. Guess you're lost," Kurt said with a smile.

"Not true. There is a handsome guy on your doorstep, and these are for him," Blaine replied with a flirtatious grin, holding out the daisies.

Kurt's lips quirked in amusement as he accepted the daisies. He ran his eyes down Blaine's outfit, then gave an approving smile. "I didn't think it was possible for you to look better than you already did, but natural light looks good on you." Despite delivering the bold compliment, Kurt blushed, as if he wasn't used to being so forthright. He held the door open more widely and stepped back so Blaine could come in. Blaine was tempted to press his luck and lean in for a kiss on the cheek as he brushed past Kurt, but Kurt seemed flustered enough for the moment.

They walked side-by-side to the elevator across the lobby. After Kurt pressed the button for his floor, they stood quietly, exchanging slightly nervous glances. When the doors slid open, Kurt led the way down the hall and unlocked a door, then gestured for Blaine to precede him. Blaine stepped over the threshold and starting automatically toeing off his shoes out of habit as he glanced around the small but well-decorated place. "This place is amazing," Blaine complimented.

"Thanks," Kurt said, leaning down to take off his shoes too. He crossed the apartment to the kitchen area and pulled down a vase before deftly cutting off the bottom of the flower stems and placing the bouquet in. After he'd set the vase on the small kitchen table, he turned back to Blaine. Blaine held out the wine bottle, and Kurt smiled. "I told you not to bring anything."

"My parents didn't pay years of exorbitant Dalton Academy tuition fees for me to forget all my manners when I moved to the big city," Blaine joked.

Kurt reached into a drawer to pull out a corkscrew. "Wait. You don't mean Dalton Academy in Westerville, Ohio, by any chance, do you?" he asked as he reached into a cabinet to grab two wine glasses.

Blaine watched as Kurt made quick work of the cork and deftly poured two glasses of wine. "You've heard of Dalton? I know we like to think we're super-prestigious, but pretty much nobody outside our region of Ohio has heard of it."

Kurt turned and handed Blaine a glass. "And that's still true. I'm from Lima," he replied, turning back to put the corkscrew away.

Blaine almost choked on his first sip of wine. "You're from Lima?!"

Kurt led the way to the sofa. "You don't have to say it like that," he teased as he sat on one end.

"I didn't mean it like that," Blaine clarified as he took the other end of the couch. "I was just surprised we'd never met before. I mean, Ohio's not _that _big."

"I guess that's true. As of two minutes ago, I did think I knew everyone who had ever lived in the state, but I guess I was wrong," Kurt replied, his eyes twinkling as he sipped his wine.

"Haha," Blaine intoned. "But Westerville's not that far from Lima, and we're about the same age…"

"Well, I didn't really run in the private school set," Kurt replied with a shrug. "As much as I might have wished I did."

Blaine gave Kurt a curious look, and Kurt shrugged. "Being a fashionable and fabulous out gay countertenor at a public school in Ohio wasn't really my favorite experience."

"Yeah, I wasn't always in the private school set, so I can imagine," Blaine replied, leaving it there. Maybe one day, he and Kurt would share their horror stories, but this was a first date. There was plenty of time for that later. "You mentioned being a countertenor. Do you sing?"

"I used to. I was in glee club in high school…"

"Are you serious? So was I! How did we not meet? Our school competed against like everyone in the entire state!" Blaine interrupted.

Kurt gave Blaine an unamused glare. "If these are your infamous Dalton manners, I have to say, I'm not impressed," he said. "But to answer your rude interrupting question, the New Directions of William McKinley High School never made it past sectionals, thanks to the unfortunate luck of being in the same bracket as Vocal Adrenaline."

"Ouch. That's rough," Blaine sympathized. "Those guys always knocked us out at regionals. But I think I may have interrupted you, so go on."

"You think?" Kurt said, raising an eyebrow.

Blaine gave him an unrepentant grin. "Maybe."

Kurt shook his head in mock disapproval. "As I was saying, I was in glee club in high school, and for a while I thought I wanted to go into performing, but then I realized I could never abandon my first love."

"Which is…?" Blaine prompted.

Kurt glanced down at his own outfit meaningfully. "Fashion, of course."

"Of course," Blaine repeated. "Do you work in fashion now?"

Kurt took another sip of his wine. "I do. I graduated from Parsons about five months ago, but I managed to score an internship at Vogue during my senior year and they were willing to keep me, so that's where I'm working now."

Blaine's eyes widened in awe. "You work at Vogue?!"

Kurt nodded.

"_The _Vogue?"

"No, the other Vogue," Kurt replied dryly.

"Oh my God. I didn't realize I was on a date with royalty. You work at Vogue," Blaine repeated in admiration.

"It's not as glamorous as it sounds," Kurt said. "I mean, I'm riding the subway with you at 5:30 in the morning because I still have to do all the grunt work like getting coffee in the morning."

"Still. It's _Vogue_, Kurt."

Kurt grinned. "Yeah, it's pretty great," he admitted. "So what's your excuse for riding the 5:30 AM subway?"

"Oh, I just figured it would be a great place to meet men," Blaine replied.

Kurt gave him an amused expression. "How's that working out for you?"

"Amazingly well, actually."

Kurt blushed and smiled slightly as he drank another sip of his wine. "So what do you really do?"

"You don't believe that I'm a professional pick-up artist?" Blaine asked with a hurt expression.

Kurt laughed lightly. "Who would even pay someone for that?"

"People desperate for my expert advice and wisdom," Blaine replied.

"I hope they're not paying you very much, because you seem terrible at your job."

Blaine gasped in mock offense. "How dare you?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You ride a train in which the majority of your fellow passengers are asleep, you only speak to guys if you happen to have the statistically improbable luck of bumping into them on another train, and you waited for me to make the first move. Not really signs of resounding success as a pick-up artist."

Blaine scowled. "I resent that. There's only Sleepy. Everyone else is at least marginally awake."

A timer went off in the kitchen, and Kurt headed toward the kitchen area. "Sleepy?" he asked curiously over his shoulder.

Blaine carried his wine glass back toward the kitchen and leaned against a counter out of the way. "Yeah. It's weird, I know, but I've started naming the regulars on the subway after the seven dwarves. Sleepy, Sneezy, and Doc are pretty obvious, I think. Grumpy's the guy who has inappropriate rage toward his handheld devices. Bashful's the girl with the book."

"And Happy is the unnaturally energetic woman who annoys me simply by existing?" Kurt guessed as he pulled something that smelled delicious out of the oven.

Blaine nodded and shrugged. "It's silly; I know."

Kurt stopped dishing food onto plates and looked over at Blaine. "It's not silly. It's adorable." When Blaine smiled broadly at him, Kurt flushed slightly and turned back to plating. "But I notice you left someone out. Does that make me Dopey?"

"No!" Blaine quickly corrected. "I'm Dopey, because I've been riding the subway with you for months and never asked you out. You're…. um… Snow White."

Kurt gave him an amused smile. "Snow White?" he repeated. Then he glanced down at his skin and made a face. "Well, I've definitely got the 'fairest in the land' part down, literally speaking."

"You've got it down figuratively speaking, too. You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen," Blaine said genuinely.

Kurt flushed again but didn't reply as he finished plating the food. He picked up the finished plates and carried them over to the table, gesturing with his head for Blaine to follow.

"This looks amazing," Blaine said as Kurt set a plate with baked salmon, wild rice, and vegetables in front of him. "My skills are limited to pasta."

Kurt shrugged as he sat. "Gourmet cooking is kind of my hobby. That's actually why I ignored all etiquette rules and invited you to my place on our first date. Ever since my best friend and former roommate moved to California, I haven't really had anyone to cook for, and I missed it."

"Well, anytime you want to cook for me, I'm available."

Kurt smiled flirtatiously and gave him a quick wink. "Let's see how the rest of the first date goes first."

Blaine grinned back and picked up his fork.

Over dinner, conversation flowed smoothly. Blaine told Kurt about his job at the coffee shop and about his dreams of being a performer, which led to a conversation about Broadway shows and favorite music. After they'd finished dinner, Blaine helped Kurt clean up before they picked out a movie, but instead of watching, they just ended up talking more. It was only when Blaine stifled a yawn that he realized it was after midnight. "I should get out of your hair and let you get some rest. I don't want to overstay my welcome on the first date."

Kurt shook his head. "You haven't overstayed your welcome, but you should probably go before the subway gets really sketchy."

"Yeah. You never know who you'll meet at random hours on the subway," Blaine replied with a wink.

Kurt rolled his eyes, but he wasn't able to completely stifle his smile. "Let me walk you out."

"Oh, you don't have to…" Blaine started to protest, but Kurt cut him off with a stern look. They slid on their shoes and left the apartment. As they waited for the elevator, Blaine reached out and linked his hand with Kurt's, and Kurt smiled shyly in response.

At the front door of the apartment building, Kurt stopped and gave Blaine a considering look. "I think you made a mistake in your _Snow White _casting," he said.

Blaine furrowed his brow in confusion. "With whom?"

"Yourself," Kurt replied, his lips twitching in a small smile. "You seem like much more of a Prince Charming to me."

Blaine grinned before leaning in to press a soft, sweet kiss to Kurt's lips. When they pulled apart, Kurt was wearing the adorable smile and blush Blaine was already growing very fond of. "I'll see you Monday morning, bright and early," Blaine said softly, squeezing Kurt's hand.

"Text me when you get home so I know you made it okay," Kurt replied.

Blaine nodded before saying goodnight and practically floating to the subway.

On Monday morning, he was still walking on air as he made his way to the subway, his daily greetings to the people on the sidewalk more ebullient than usual. When Kurt got on the subway and grinned at Blaine as he took the seat next to him, Blaine's answering smile was bright enough to give Happy some serious competition for her title.


End file.
